Serious ducks diagnostic problem 2000 Cavalier 2.2L

Asked by throwstools Jul 10, 2015 at 06:19 PM about the Chevrolet Cavalier

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

OK.
2000 Cavalier w/ 90000 miles. Low reservoir light came on... ended up replacing
thermostat. Had HUGE ISSUES bleeding it & actually put 112 miles on it before it
overheated AGAIN. Also have new coolant temp sensor and coolant reservoir....AND a
new fan, that does kick on properly
It continues to do the following every 100 or so miles:
Will leave house/work w/ car completely full of coolant, heat blowing very hot,  a/c works
great... then all of a sudden the low reservoir light will come on for 3-4 seconds (MAX)
then blow out all the coolant. Temp gauge NEVER climbs passed 195 and I've yet to be
able to pull over fast enough to figure out from where the coolant is letaking,  but  its
always empty by the time I do. (I usually pull over within 60 to 90 seconds ;-)

Also, when I've bled it lately, unless I've got significant pressure going INTO coolant
reservoir from hose many times nothing comes outta the bleed valve... Even if I've bled it
for a hour or so using the garden hose on med power... I've put in vinegar (assuming it had
clots of rust/calcium/lime....

I am DESPERATE for some help here...... if anyone can help me figure this out,  I'd be a
very happy girl!  Z
Please note * I'm nearly an expert on this particular cavaliver,  lol....

3 Answers

144,885

This could be a bad radiator or cap on radiator,or your water pump is going out,

1 people found this helpful.
40

These cavaliers have no radiator caps. (I'd love to meet the engineers who made that cooling system; it's literally the WORST invention for a car, like ever)! What's so bizarre is today it didn't overheat... I put 167 miles on it this time. (this time I bled coolant system for 51 mins... hose on high). Anyway to diagnose bad water pump? Thanks guys!

1 people found this helpful.
51,315

If you bled it for that long a time and now it is not overheating, you may of gotten the air out of the system. check around the water pump for wetness. If it is starting to fail, there is a weep hole underneath that will "weep" liquid out. Hot engines will most times evaporate it before it hits the floor or ground. When the engine is running, see if you can squeeze the radiator hose leading from the pump to the radiator and feel water is moving. You may not be able to feel it due to several reasons. Keep an eye on the gauge in the mean time and the fluid level.

1 people found this helpful.

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